Ukrainian paratroopers reportedly blew up a Russian armored personnel carrier with a Stugna-P anti-tank guided missile.
Images released by the Ukrainian military show a missile whizzing toward its target before hitting it, causing a large explosion and a plume of smoke.
The footage was obtained Friday from the Command of the Airborne Assault Troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, along with a statement saying that the successful operation was carried out by the 80th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which is garrisoned in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv during peacetime.
The Command of the Airborne Assault Troops also said: “Lviv paratroopers continue to successfully destroy Russian armored vehicles together with their crews.
“The video shows the effective use of the modern Ukrainian Stugna-P anti-tank guided missile system against enemy armored vehicles.”
The Stugna-P is a Ukrainian-built anti-tank guided missile system that was developed in the 2010s. It has even been used in at least one case to down a Russian Ka-52 attack helicopter.
The Command of the Airborne Assault Troops added: “It should be noted that these days, the Lviv paratroopers, together with other units of the Armed Forces and other components of the defense forces of Ukraine, knocked out nine Russian tanks, seven units of other armored vehicles (APCs and BMPs), one truck and destroyed about 70 occupiers.”
“APC” stands for armored personnel carrier, while BMPs are infantry fighting vehicles that were first used by the Soviet Union in the 1960s.
The Command of the Airborne Assault Troops also said: “We continue to carry out combat missions and destroy the enemies of Ukraine! Death to the Russian invaders! Airborne Assault Troops – Always First! Glory to Ukraine!”
It is unclear where exactly in Ukraine the images were filmed. They were also relayed by the Office of Strategic Communications (StratCom) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Zenger News contacted the Command of the Airborne Assault Troops for further comment, as well as the Russian Ministry of Defense, but had not received a reply at the time of writing.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 in what the Kremlin is calling a “special military operation.” Saturday marks the 143rd day of the invasion.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between February 24 and July 15, Russia had lost about 38,000 personnel, 1,672 tanks, 3,866 armored combat vehicles, 842 artillery units, 247 multiple launch rocket systems, 109 air defense systems, 220 warplanes, 188 helicopters, 681 drones, 155 cruise missiles, 15 warships, 2,731 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 67 units of special equipment.
Other developments in the Russia-Ukraine war:
At least 23 people, including three children, have been killed and up to 117 others have been injured after Russian missiles hit the city center of Vinnytsia, in west-central Ukraine, far from the front lines. The State Emergency Service (SES) of Ukraine has said that it is looking for 39 people who are currently missing, and 34 others are in serious condition.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky called the attack “an open act of terrorism.”
The United States, as well as over 40 other countries have agreed to coordinate their investigations into suspected Russian war crimes in Ukraine. Forty-five countries, including European Union countries, as well as the U.S., the United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, and Australia signed a declaration at a conference in The Hague on Thursday, agreeing to work together.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that Russia’s war in Ukraine is the biggest threat to the global economy. She added that representatives of the Russian regime “have no place” at the G20 meeting in Indonesia.
Oleksandr Kubrakov, Ukraine’s infrastructure minister, has said that Kyiv is “definitely a step closer” to being able to export grain through its Black Sea ports after talks with Russia, Turkey, and the United Nations.
The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War has said that Russia has begun “volunteer mobilizations” to address soldier shortages, saying that Moscow had “likely ordered Russian ‘federal subjects’ (regions) to form volunteer battalions to participate in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, instead of declaring partial or full mobilization in Russia.”
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